(CelebrityAccess) – The 2020 editions of the Glastonbury Festival and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival have both been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Glastonbury, which was due to celebrate its 50th-anniversary this year, was slated to take place June 24-28 and feature headline performances from Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which was scheduled for April 23-May 3, would have featured performances by the Who, Dead & Company, Stevie Nicks, Foo Fighters, Lizzo, and Lionel Richie, among others.
In announcing the cancelation, JazzFest said in a statement posted to its official Twitter account Tuesday (March 17): “At the direction of the City of New Orleans authorities, in response to ongoing COVID-19 health concerns, the 2020 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell will not occur this April and May, as scheduled. The health and safety of the community, our musicians, Festival fans, participants, sponsors, and staff are paramount, and we urge everyone to follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials.”
Meanwhile, Glastonbury organizers Emily and Michael Eavis said in a statement posted to the festival’s official Instagram Wednesday (March 18): “We are so sorry to announce this, but Glastonbury 2020 will have to be cancelled, and this will be an enforced fallow year for the Festival. Clearly this was not a course of action we hoped to take for our 50th anniversary event, but following the new government measures announced this week – and in times of such unprecedented uncertainty – this is now our only viable option.
“We were so looking forward to welcoming you all for our 50th anniversary with a line-up full of fantastic artists and performers that we were incredibly proud to have booked Again, we’re so sorry that this decision has been made. It was not through choice. But we look forward to welcoming you back to these fields next year and until then, we send our love and support to all of you,” they added.
The festivals are the latest additions to an already long list of live music events that includes Coachella, South By Southwest, the Billboard Music Awards and numerous others, which have been canceled or postponed due to growing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.
